TUCSON, Ariz. — Arizona State went into Thursday night’s game fighting for a chance to go to Texas and play in the Big 12 Tournament. But after a 0-0 road draw to their in-state rival Arizona, the Sun Devils will just miss out on a spot.
After losing their home finale to No. 5 TCU, the Sun Devils looked to finish the season strong against its rival. No matter the circumstances and trends for a given year, this is always a marquee matchup.
The Sun Devils were not only battling the Wildcats, but also BYU. If the Cougars won their game against Utah and ASU did not beat Arizona, BYU would qualify and the Sun Devils would be eliminated.
The Cougars won 2-0. The pressure was on Arizona State.
As they have done so often this season, Sparky’s back line and goalkeeping did their part. The Wildcats came out in the first half on the attack, earning five corners and getting off five shots. But senior goalkeeper Pauline Nelles, who broke the school’s record for clean sheets in a 1-0 win against Utah on Oct. 23, did not let anything get into the back of the net.
After just one shot in the first half, ASU turned up the pressure, rattling off six in the second. Senior midfielder/forward Tatum Thomason led the team’s rejuvenation, finishing with three shots and one on goal.
Arizona kept up the attack in the second half, trying to spoil its rival’s tournament birth hopes. It finished the game with 13 shots and four shots on goal.
In the 69th minute, the Wildcats came close to scoring off a set piece. So close that some spectators at Murphey Field at Mulcahy Stadium mistook the shot for a goal. It was not to be though, as Nelles’ outstretched right arm saved the Sun Devils from going down 1-0.
As the match grew near the end and neither team could find the back of the net, the two teams became chippy. In the 88th minute, ASU was handed a red card for unsporting.
Despite the draw, the Sun Devils can take solace in the fact that they helped get star goalkeeper Nelles one more shutout. She finished her collegiate career with 26 clean sheets.
The Sun Devils end the 2025 regular season with a 10-5-4 record overall and finished 3-5-3 in conference. This was an improvement from last year (8-8-3, 3-7-1 Big 12). They will look to build on that growth next season with a younger core, with 10 seniors departing in the offseason.
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